I just returned from a 5-night stay. We were originally booked in a standard 2 Queen Bed room (2 adults and 2 children, ages 3 and 5), and the booking was made using points by a Globalist friend as a GOH booking. A few weeks prior to arrival, I emailed to inquire about cash upgrade possibilities, and I was offered the following:
- One-Bedroom Fountain View Residence, West Tower - $245 per night plus taxes
- One-Bedroom Fountain View Residence, East Tower - $350 per night plus taxes
- One-Bedroom Ocean View Residence, East Tower - $480 per night plus taxes
I opted for the One-Bedroom Fountain View in the West Tower (taxes add on an additional 10% to the prices above). Our room on the 20th floor was very clean, modern, and spacious, but no extra bathroom (just the full bathroom in the bedroom). We had a full kitchen with full-sized refrigerator, range, convection oven, and a large living room that worked well for our kids.
Breakfast each morning was still in Regatta Buffet, which has a huge selection of options, and complimentary for 2 adults + 2 children on a GOH stay. Otherwise, breakfast for 2 adults is $90 ($36 per person + VAT + service charge). We were usually down there between 8:00-8:30 each morning, and there were plenty of tables available, but by the time we left around 9:00-9:15, there was a wait for a table to open up (usually 3-4 parties, so not a huge wait).
We didn't realize that we needed reservations in advance at the upscale restaurants (and there are just a few options for dinner outside of those). On the first night, we walked from one restaurant to another, only to be turned away - and the additional challenge is that most of the casual poolside restaurants close at 5 pm (poolside bars close at 6 pm). After dinner that first night, we looked online for reservations at some of the other upscale restaurants, and nothing was available for the remainder of our stay at most restaurants earlier than 9 pm. We did manage to get outside seating as a walk up at the steakhouse, Carna, which was good, but the least expensive steak is $95. In a friendly way, they asked our kids how old they were, and our 5 year old's meal was indeed charged, which is fair enough since the rules technically state that kids "under 5" eat free. We also were able to get a walk up table one night at Cleo (Mediterranean restaurant) by asking for outside seating, and we thought that was the best food of the trip. Pizza Lab was pretty good as a dinner option that didn't need a reservation.
We all had a great time at the water park, and the pools around the hotel were certainly busy, but didn't feel overcrowded since there are so many options. Prime location chairs (right next to the pool with umbrellas) always seemed taken, but with small kids, we're not usually sitting for long, so we were always able to find a chair off to the side to drop our stuff while we swam with the kids. Note that none of the casual places in the waterpark are included in the "kids eat free" program, but there are plenty of options.
I'd say service was decent overall, ranging from apathetic to very good, but on average definitely reflected what I've seen as the norm in the Bahamas, where many folks just seem to act tired of tourists and are just going through the motions. Several mornings at breakfast, I had an omelet served to me without a single word uttered (just eye contact when he was ready for me to order, then handed it to me without a word when it was finished)...but there were plenty of pleasant and helpful staff members as well. Overall, we were very pleased with our stay, especially with GOH benefits.